Chapter 8
Natasha stepped out into the hallway, with Bandit staring at the battlefield with a stunned expression on his face. She frowned.
The little Kaiba was there.
Mokuba glared at Natasha. The sorceror scanned her mind. No visions.
Mokuba was wary. This sorceress must be a fool to think her gifts could be
depended on when it comes to hurting Oni-chan. But even so, she was very
powerful. Seto only had his psychic abilities, and as dependable as they are, he
doesn't know how to use his other abilities. He has no offensive attacks.
Mokuba, on the other hand, has many offensive and defensive attacks. The problem is, the sorceress does too, and with that added on to her psychic powers, however undependable, she still had an advantage.
But if Fate really cared for her son, she will care for his brother.
" Who do you think you are to stand in my way?" Natasha asked.
" Why should I not?" Mokuba asked. " I know who you are and why you are here."
" If you really know who I am, it would be wise for you to step aside."
" Really? I don't think so. Are any visions coming to you?" Mokuba taunted. Please
Oni-chan, get out of here.
Natasha's eyes flashed. " Are you questioning my powers?"
" Maybe." Mokuba answered. " How about we settle this a civilized way." He took
out a deck of cards in his right hand, " Unless you choose to settle it in a more
barbaric way." In his left hand he held a dagger. It was small. But it was powerful.
Natasha's eyes gleamed. She smiled. " I always like to play games before I kill my opponents." She said.
" Mokuba just challenged her into a duel."
" He'll win."
" How do you know?"
" We have a connection. I had a vision."
Pegasus paused. " Are you sure of that?"
" Fate is on my side, for now." Seto muttered.
" Good gracious." Pegasus sighed. " And now the next one is entering the castle."
" Anna, I presume."
" Hai."
" So you met Bakura that time."
" Of course. I was the High Priest."
" So...what crime did he commit?"
" Tomb robbing. What else?"
" How did you punish him?"
" The Ring."
" You did that?"
" Of course. Who else? The Pharaoh? The Pharaoh didn't have that kind of power."
" So you banished the Pharaoh as well, into that puzzle."
" I didn't do it."
" Then who did?"
" I don't know. I was dead, remember?"
Pegasus paused. " So that's why Bakura's bitter."
" He's always bitter. He's a thief."
" A thief ought to have a heart, though."
" You've never read Oliver Twist."
" Crime and Punishment."
" Never read that. Not a Japanese book."
" Of course not."
" Sordid lifestyle they led, back then. They start out as pickpockets. Bakura was part
of a gang that time. Malik was in it. So were a few others who were not important."
" Bakura was important?"
" He was one of the best. They live a very low and dishonorable life, mainly because
they didn't see the point in finding jobs. It's sad, actually, how they act tough and
yet they were so scared of being beheaded or buried alive. Yet they still do it,
because they knew no better."
" So you didn't give Bakura any of those punishments."
" Iie. This one was far worse. If he didn't do anything to me I guess I would have
just killed him."
" What did he do to you?"
Seto was silent.
" Oh..." Pegasus paled. " Oh! Good god! Does he know?"
" Iie, he's long forgotten." Seto answered. " In fact, I forgot too. I'm not afraid of
him. If he has that in his blood, he won't act it out anytime soon."
" Are you sure?"
" His main interest is Ryou now." Seto answered. " And since I already punished
him fatally the last time he violated me, he'll think twice before doing it again. And
that time I did not have Fate on my side."
" What was going on in that room?" Croquet asked.
" A lot of things." Mokuba answered, slipping his deck into his shirt pocket. "
Where's Pegasus?"
" Downstairs with your brother." The man blinked. " Is there anyone in there?"
" Oh, of course," Mokuba answered. " But you might not want to go in there.
She's...ah, quite inclined to throw fire at whatever target she might find when she's
angry, like right now. I'll have to meet my brother, but you ought to stay away
from this door lest she comes out while still fuming."
" Is there a fire in there?" The astonished man sniffed.
" Maybe." Mokuba shrugged. " But don't you worry. I put all flamable stuff in a pile
in there. The fire will go on."
The guard gave a cry of surprise and Mokuba reassured him that he was only jesting, and went downstairs laughing to himself.
Bandit Keith seethed in his room. He was so going to kick that woman's butt.
Suddenly, there was laughter outside. Bandit raised his head in surprise as the door
suddenly opened and Kaiba came in, panting. He took one look around the room,
noticing Bandit, and started laughing anew.
" Gomen!" He slowly got the better of his mirth, " Good heavens, the smoke made
its way all the way over here?"
Just then a cloud of smoke puffed into the room and Seto quickly shut the
door, and helped Bandit open the windows.
" Serves Mokuba right," Seto laughed cheerfully. " Angering a woman that way,
eh? Especially a sorceress! You look like you've seen better days, Keith-san. But
you can drop that thought of revenge on the sorceress; she was already defeated.
Unfortunately, she'll come for me harder than ever, but I guess Yami and the others
will prevent her enough for me to escape, don't you think?"
" You are mad." Bandit observed.
" Perhaps." Seto looked at him, to his surprise rather solemnly. " Did the others say
that? Quite chattery, they are."
Bandit blinked. This time Seto was speaking in English to him, with a slight British accent.
" Well! The sorceress is coming! I guess the others didn't do that much of a good job. When Mokuba knocks open the door for him. He'll put out the flames if they come. Ja for now!" He leaped onto the edge of the window and jumped up, his trenchcoat fluttering after him. Bandit gave a cry of surprise, and looked up to find that-
Seto had disappeared.
Mokuba had just come down the stairs when the door to the arena opened
and out came Natasha, red with all her wrath. Seto had taken her good humoredly
and had fleed from her, with Mokuba, up the stairs straight into Bandit's room.
Mokuba laughed at Natasha in mockery and resolved to battle her with magic, and
quite frankly neither of them lost.
But then Anna came. And then things began to get not so lighthearted.
Seto climbed on top of the roof and looked up at the taller tower. He could
easily scamper up that, but then, if he could, so could the sorceresses, and he knew
Anna came in already. So he looked around and chose the most difficult pathway.
Down. Over the cliff.
He jumped at first and rolled, letting less of the impact injure him. He rolled to his feet. Glancing up he saw he was already halfway down the cliff. He started running down and he leaped over the sharp rocks onto a flat one. The momentum was perfect. The sorceresses will have a harder time now.
Diving into the water, he suddenly thought of something. What of the others? Perhaps the sorceresses wouldn't care for them, but then, he never knew. Floating back up he hesitated. His eyes flashed. They're going to leave them alone, but he'll be captured this way. Shooting out of the water, he used his internal magic for the first time.
He arrived at the helicopter, and with a shake of his hand he was all dry. He jumped in, buckled up, flicked the appropriate switches and the helicopter started. Getting off the ground he circled the castle. Mokuba raised his head and saw the helicopter, and so did the sorceresses. They ran after Mokuba, who leaped into the helicopter, and the two brothers flew off safely.
Pegasus sighed in relief. The Kaibas are safe, for now. But the sorceresses-
He turned around. " Shadi! Yugi! Yami!"
The others ran to him. " We lost them." Bakura panted. " They burst in smoke. Then they were gone."
Bandit came home fully dissatisfied. He was beaten by a mere girl! What was
her name, Mai?
He turned on the radio and threw himself on the bed. Good heavens. Picking up a newspaper he read the front page.
He started up.
It was nighttime in Domino. Yugi and Co had returned home an hour ago
and were at Yugi's home, discussing everything that happened. Occasionally Ryou,
Jou, or Yugi would sigh, go to the phone and dial, wait for a moment, only to hang
up again. Once Honda left a message. No one returned it.
Finally, Yami was too restless.
" If I sit here any longer, I think I'll kill someone. I'm so sure Seto is at the mansion.
I'm going there."
" We're coming with you." Anzu said. And it wasn't difficult. They were all of the
same mind. Seto had disappeared around five days before the end of the
championship and the sorceresses did too. Pegasus was anxious, and because he
was, so were they.
What happened to Seto?
Pegasus nodded. " Faster. We must make haste."
The pilot obeyed. Pegasus strained his eyes, and spotted a red glow.
" Already?!" He cried, and could have tried to leap to his feet had not the seat belt restrained him.
Mokuba hissed.
Seto had brought them back to Domino in several hours. But the sorceresses were already there, waiting. Seto said that they wouldn't attack until several days later, when the sorceror will come to join them.
Now he did. And they were in big trouble.
There was fire everywhere. He could not see his big brother. Flames lashed out and burned at his legs. He shot his hand out and out flew bright light, but still the sorcerors laughed and dodged. Something struck at his back. He fell forward with a cry, his head rested against the burning hot soil.
Oni-chan, I-
Strong arms wrapped around his waist and he felt himself being lifted up. Seto cradled his brother and looked wildly at the sorcerors. What had once been a laughing child is now a terror-stricken victim. Seto's eyes flashed in the glow of the fire. The sorcerors and prophets stood around him in a circle.
Pegasus jumped off the plane and looked at the fires.
" Kami-sama."
He cursed, flicking out his cell phone and dialed as he ran.
" Moshi moshi?" The voice on the other side answered.
Sugoruku!
" Get Yugi on the phone!" Pegasus yelled over the roar of the flames. " NOW!"
There was a hurried frenzy on the other side. Yugi's voice answered.
" Yugi! Get over here to the Kaiba Mansion! And take the others with you except
for those without the items."
" What's going on there?" Yugi asked, panicking.
" Our friends followed Seto to Domino." Pegasus answered. Then he froze.
Seto held his brother to him tightly. Someone help us...
Something lashed out at him. Seto gave a great cry as his left wrist began to burn against the golden ropes. He tugged, keeping his hold on Mokuba. He could hear the ambulence and the fire truck. People were screaming. Seto cried out as another rope caught around his neck. Choking, he refused to let go of Mokuba. His brother would burn in here!
" Seto!"
Seto looked up at the sound of his name just as something wrapped around his mouth, forming a gag. His eyes flashed and the flames sizzled a little, but he was unused to working his powers and was sadly inexperienced.
Something began wrapping around him. Seto saw Pegasus's shadow and light shooting out of his left eye and he heard a scream from the sorceresses. He looked down.
Mummies were wrapped in bandages.
They were wrapping him!
Tugging fiercely, he finally let go of Mokuba, who fell to the ground senseless. He tugged again, choking and wheezing. He closed his eyes as the final bandage wrapped around his eyes. He writhed.
" Seto!"
It was amazing. All the duelists were there. Bandit, Weevil, Rex. Because this
may be the end of the world champion.
Pegasus stood with the crowd hopelessly, holding on to the unconscious Mokuba. Seto was still in there among the flames, but the flames wouldn't be quenched. The crowd was huge and they all stared on with horror and shock.
The Big Five stood around Pegasus, also looking on. Whether they were glad or not, Pegasus did not bother to find out. He called to Seto again and again, sometimes shaking at Mokuba, sometimes looking for Yugi and the others.
The shadow that use to be Seto fell sideways. Just then, several clumps of the mansion fell around the mummified figure. The roar of the flames was deafening. The sirens were screeching. Pegasus looked on in horror. He ignored the gasps and cries.
The sky was black, as black as a death. Pegasus shook desperately at Mokuba, then turned to the figure in the flames, hope dying in his heart.
Suddenly, a figure leaped out of the scorching corpse. Pegasus felt his heart leap to his throat. The figure was a child. But the boy was not human at all. He shed a white light over his surroundings and looked like he was misplaced somehow, like one of those tricks people play on computers with a firey scene and a person pasted on from another more tranquil picture.
This was not some computer. This was real.
" Pegasus!"
Pegasus did not turn around, but he knew it was Yami. The group ran up beside him.
" Seto!" Yugi cried,
" He came out!" Ryou breathed.
The child within the flames looked about him. Suddenly, something golden struck out. The boy dodged.
Pegasus handed Mokuba to Jou. " Seto!"
The child turned to his direction.
" Seto, come here!" Pegasus pleaded. Come on, Seto,
The boy hesitated a second, then darted his way. Something struck at his leg and the child tumbled, but regained his footing in time to dodge the second. The boy jumped and Pegasus caught him.
" Iie!" He heard a woman yell. " Get him!"
Pegasus whirled around without thinking, wrapping his arms securely around the little body and fled as if the dogs were on him. Jou and the others followed, and occasionally Yami would turn around and use some power of his to drive the sorcerors back. The crowd cleared the way and closed behind them, half conscious of what was going on.
A car pulled up. It was one of Pegasus's friends, Itys, a CEO of an oil company. The others climbed in with him.
" Arigatou." Pegasus said to Itys as they drove out of there. " You came just in
time."
" That's Seto Kaiba?" Itys pointed, incredulously.
" Kuso." Pegasus wasn't listening to him. " What are we going to do with you, little
one? You have no body anymore."
" Nani?" Itys blinked. The others sighed.
" Kami-sama." Pegasus muttered.
Pegasus, unlike Seto, was a very social person, even when it came to
business. He had called Itys when he read Seto's frenzied mind before he boarded
the helicopter. Itys was gracious enough to come without questioning, but now in
the limo, pretty much safe from harm, driving over to Itys's mansion, the group had
a lot of explaining to do.
So Shadi and the others explained up to the point where Seto ran into Bandit's room by accident. Then Pegasus gave an account of how Seto ended up in Domino with Mokuba, and were surrounded by sorceresses so they couldn't escape.
They had to explain Seto's prophetic powers, and Yami and the others had to explain Seto's spirit.
Seto's ghost, who had been hurriedly named Tenko by Pegasus, appeared to
get over his fright quite quickly. He was curious about the limo. He was curious
about Yugi, about Jou, Honda, Anzu, Shadi, Isis, and Malik. He was not curious
about Ryou. He appeared not to be interested in Ryou, but when he saw the Ring
he would not go near him.
" What's wrong, Tenko?" Pegasus asked, gravely tired, but Tenko huddled on his
lap near him and began whimpering, making strange clicking and whistling noises,
which was all he ever made ever since he came out.
" Tenko, Bakura wouldn't hurt you." Ryou reassured the child. But Tenko rattled in
his throat and edged even further away from Ryou.
" Why is he so scared of him?" Itys asked.
So the Millennium Items had to be explained to him. Itys, was actually very moralistic, and he did not show any signs of darkness or corruption, even when the others had added in a few pointers on how powerful the items were.
When they were done speaking they suddenly realized something. Tenko hadn't moved all the while.
So they all turned to Pegasus.
" Aww, how kawaii!" Anzu cried, softly of course, because Tenko fell asleep on
Pegasus's shoulder and Pegasus was rubbing his back comfortingly.
They arrived at their destination and Pegasus carefully carried Tenko out. Itys showed them their rooms and Pegasus tucked the covers of Tenko's bed around the child. Then they hurried to the living room.
" Seto's body just burned back there." Pegasus hissed. " No doubt it's ashes by now.
What are we going to do with a ghost? Everyone was after Tenko for centuries and
he always had a body to protect him. But now he's staying here without a barrier."
" What do you want us to do?" Shadi asked. " Find another body?"
" Why not? Where's Mokuba? Where's Jou?"
" Jou is putting him in his room. What do you think? But I still don't understand. Do
you want us to find another body?"
" Iie, that wouldn't be proper." Pegasus hesitated.
" So?" Honda asked impatiently.
" Do you think the High Priests's body will be alright?"
" Pegasus!" Shadi hissed. " That's absurd!"
" But really. Somehow, if we can let Tenko heal that other body somehow, it will be
fine!"
" So have a headless Seto? Perhaps you can have a pumpkin for a head! Pegasus,
that is mad!"
" You never know. Did you mummify him?"
" Did we mummify him, Isis?" Shadi asked. " I can't remember. We usually don't
mummify criminals unless it's one of their punishments...I think we did though.
Perhaps the Pharaoh's conscience got the better of him..."
" You are crazy, Pegasus." Itys said over and over again as the two men rode the
plane over to Egypt. " Other people say that you're crazy and now I agree.
Seriously, what could a skeleton do to serve Tenko?"
" You don't understand. From what I know, the High Priest planted some kind of
magic before the execution. I'm not sure who knew it, I think it was Tenko himself."
" Oh, right, you can read minds." Itys muttered. " But still, without a head, that
body won't serve anything."
" You never know if it really doesn't have a head." Pegasus answered, although he
was growing sick to the stomach. Last time I remember I was hating Seto's guts.
" I still say you're crazy."
" Say what you want."
" He's going where?" Bakura shouted.
Mokuba winced. Tenko scolded the spirit with a series of undecipherable clicks, although Mokuba could decipher them. Bakura hissed and Tenko jumped back.
" To Egypt." The younger child answered. " They're looking for the High Priest's
body."
" Pegasus is crazy. That's it." Jou said, throwing his hands up in the air. " What
could Tenko do with a skeleton?"
Tenko answered with a weird noise that might mean " Beats me", but it's impossible to tell.
Anzu suddenly squeezed Tenko's waist, and the spirit squeaked.
" Strange." She observed. " Seto's like a squeeze toy."
Tenko snapped his teeth at Anzu, and the girl quickly let go of him. Too late though, because Honda was bolder, and he began squeezing Tenko's waist, making Tenko squeak each time.
The scene was so hilarious that although everyone was still concerned about Pegasus, they couldn't help but laugh at the two of them, especially since Seto, in his spirit form, was rather small, around the size of a ten or eleven year old.
As amusing as it was, it appeared to be uncomfortable for Seto, naturally, and the child began to-cry.
Although Yami busied himself with getting Honda off Tenko and comforting the little spirit, he couldn't help but notice that the sobs were very humanlike.